All aboard the breakfast express at Northcote STN

Most operators would be satisfied with one venue, maybe two, definitely three at the most. But not Nolan Taing. He has aspirations to take his cafe brands to franchise level. "We're trying to become a household name, really," he says of his plans to take on industry giants Coffee Club and Starbucks.  

He's off to a good start. Along with brother Brian and business partner Joe La, he already owns four specialty coffee shops under the Workshop Bros name (the most recent opened in Glen Waverley in June).

This July he launched full-service cafe Northcote STN, with another planned for Braybrook in November and Northland next February.

The boys have put (soon to be busy extremely busy) executive chef Mark Wallen, ex Duchess of Spotswood, at the helm to dish up an all-day Asian fusion menu in keeping with the Workshop Bros' offering, although it unfortunately looks like a tax form with its all-red, all-caps design.

I've always been a fan of breakfast soup and the wasabi milk chicken is no exception.

Breast meat is poached in a luminous broth of fresh turmeric, coconut and wasabi (from paste), finished with toothsome soba noodles; pickled red cabbage adds a fresh kick to an otherwise rich dish.

For a sweet option look to the brioche (bought from Dench Bakers down the road).

It's pan-fried in chai-infused ghee, served with a spoonful of peanut butter parfait and vanilla-poached mandarins and doused in star-anise infused espresso syrup.

The fried calamari is interesting in a cafe-meets-counter-meal way: pub-style deep-fried tentacles with a seriously salty lick of squid ink (watch out, it gets everywhere), a russet-coloured almond romesco and a fried egg.

It suits anytime dining, however slices of unseasoned tomato do not a garnish make, even if they're a fancy black-hued variety.

I'm told STN, short for "station", is a nod to the London Underground, but it's a long bow: there's a white stripe along the polished concrete floor that says "mind the gap", but that's as British as the concept gets.

The white-on-white colour scheme works well, a wall of banquette seating is separated from an open kitchen and specialty coffee station by a wide hallway thanks to the clean, spacious design that's become a signature for architects Studio Tate (who clearly took the train station brief as an abstract).

Like its Workshop siblings the Northcote STN's coffee offering is strong, baristas skilfully measure every grind of Axil beans for silky smooth espresso and batch brewed on Fetco. It's a good start towards world domination.